Innovative air cargo charter to move urgent O&G equipment

Our cargo team in Singapore recently provided a specialist solution to transport an urgent load of 40 foot long seamless steel tubes and couplings weighing 95 tons from Osaka to Houston for a client in the oil and gas industry.

Working closely with the loadmasters, our cargo charter specialists in Singapore developed ways to overcome the challenges of loading the outsized cargo into a Boeing 747 freighter, as well as maximising capacity of the aircraft so that the maximum number of steel tubes and couplings could be transported in one charter.

In the case of handling outsized cargo, conventional methods of loading may be unfeasible; innovation combined with technical expertise is the key to overcome loading complications for oversized cargo.

Due to the sheer size and weight of the cargo for this charter, our team had to arrange for three 40 foot pallets to be built directly at the airside, right in front of the aircraft, as opposed to the usual procedure of building the pallets in the cargo terminal.

As such, the cargo bypassed the warehouse and was moved directly to the airside using seven flatbed trucks. The team also coordinated arrangements for onsite personnel and specialist equipment, including cranes and custom-built loading structures, to ensure a smooth loading procedure.

Anton Lomakin, Senior Manager of Chapman Freeborn Singapore, who was in charge of managing this cargo charter shared that complications in transporting outsized cargo are not confined to loading and unloading procedures: “Besides the challenges faced in the loading process, we also need to consider how g-forces affect cargo when the aircraft accelerates or brakes during take-off and landing.”

The team applied specialist technical knowledge to make certain that all the steel tubing of different diameters were carefully lego-stacked, and proper structures and stoppers were in place to lock down the steel tubing so as to prevent displacement in flight.

“We are keenly focused on the value-added service we provide for our clients. Challenging charters give us the opportunity to demonstrate our expertise in providing innovative solutions and we are happy that we are able provide a unique charter solution that fits the client’s requirements and timescale.” Anton added.